Sonic The Hedgehog: Shadows of the Past
by Bradman1989
Summary: "Goodbye Forever, Shadow The Hedgehog" that's what he said when he promised himself he'd let go of his past, but did he really want to? My first Fan-Fic so please tell me how I did in your Review! COMPLETE
1. Memories

**Okay, this is my first Fan-Fic so if I make any beginner's mistakes don't hesitate to tell me in your review, I appreciate constructive criticism. Now, Onto the Fan-Fic! XD**

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It was in the middle of a Blizzard, Shadow had made his way to the top of a mountain overseeing one of Eggman's Bases

"Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog" The words rang in his head like a Bell. As much as he wanted to, He couldn't forget Maria.

"Maria..." He said out loud in such a depressingly sad tone you'd swear a tear was welling up in his eye.

He quickly snapped out of it "I don't have time for this!" he yelled to himself, G.U.N. sent Rouge and him go on a Rescue Mission to save E-123 Omega who recently left without a trace on his quest for revenge against Eggman

"Shadow! what's holding you up!" Rouge complained through the Communicator, Shadow turned the Communicator on and said

"Nothing, I was just about to go," he assured. after saying that, he shouted "**CHAOS**...**CONTROL!**" and warped into the base. He quickly ran to the door controls and typed in every single possible password with supersonic speed.

Once the door opened Rouge glided in while saying "Took you long enough!"

Shadow put his nose to the floor and said "Forgive me, I should have been more alert..." Rouge, Surprised by his reply said

"Shadow? Is there something bothering you?" She asked, wondering if her friend was in any kind of trouble. Shadow raised his head back up and asked

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I know your normally a downer but this is ridiculous!" she replied. as Shadow realized the jig was up

"I'm sorry, old memories are coming back and i'm having trouble concentrating with them." Shadow confessed

"will you be alright?" Rouge said putting her hand on his shoulder

"Yes, I'll be fine!" Shadow said, swiping Rouge's hand away.

"(I am the Ultimate Life form! I will not be treated like a child!)" he thought to himself. as he walked away, Rouge crossed her arms and said

"Hmph! Well i'm sorry for being concerned!"

They had made it to the building that they thought Omega was in, but once they opened the door they saw about two dozen robots busy at work on something that looked familiar to Shadow but he just couldn't put his finger on it. Once they had finally gotten through all of Eggman's Robots, they found the room Eggman had Omega deactivated in. Shadow opened the door and they saw Omega with one lone light illuminating the room. As they walked in, Rouge asked

"Alright, we're here, now what? Do we lug him over to G.U.N. For Reactivation cause we don't know the first thing about Robots?!"

"I'm afraid that's _exactly_ what we're going to do," Shadow said. Rouge sighed and they both carried Omega to the Helicopter. Rouge gently put Omega in one of the seats in the back and With Shadow in the Driver seat, they flew off, but in the back, Omega suddenly Reactivated on his own, got up from his seat and started yelling

"EGGMAN! DESTROY! EGGMAN DESTR-"

"Calm down Omega, It's me remember? Rouge," Rouge said as she put him back on the seat. Omega looked at Rouge

"Rouge? Why are you here? Where are we?" Omega said, Confused about not being in Eggman's Base

"We're in a Helicopter" Rouge replied, Still calm. Omega

"Who is in the driver seat?" Omega questioned

"Shadow is, Now relax. We're taking you back to G.U.N." Rouge assured

"Shadow? Affirmative. Going into Sleep Mode now..." Omega calmly said with his eyes fading

"No-Wait! OMEGA!" But it was too late Omega was already asleep

"What's going on back there?" Shadow yelled, Rouge sighed and said

"Nothing..."

"Alright, Well it seems we've finally made it back to HeadQuarters," Shadow said as they finally made it back to G.U.N. HQ.

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**Okay that's it. Hope you enjoyed the first Chapter! Please Review! Bradman is out!**

**UPDATE:Fixed a couple of punctuation errors and added a little more description. Thanks for the input! Bradman is out!**


	2. Pride

**Thanks for all the positive feedback! Once again, Don't hesitate to tell me any mistakes i've made, Be it punctuation, Capitalization, Lack of description or just a lame story, I want to know! Now, onto the Fic! XD**

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The story starts when Team Dark landed at G.U.N. HQ, when Shadow got out of the cockpit, he noted that the Helicopter trip took a little too long, and it had turned to dusk. Rouge tried to carry Omega But Shadow stopped her,

"Don't over-exert yourself, Let me carry him," Shadow said as he picked Omega up with one hand,

"Why the sudden interest in me?" Rouge teased.

"It'd be a waste of my power if I let you carry him," Shadow answered.

"Well you're no fun." Rouge said as she pouted.

"I don't underst-" Shadow started, But just then, Shadow was flooded with memories of his Best Friend, Maria.

He remembered when they used to hang out...

"_Shadow, What do you think it's like on Earth?"_

He remembered when she used to play games with him.

"_Isn't this place huge? Even I still get lost sometimes."_

It was as if Maria was still alive.

"_Shadow, are you going to stare out that window all day?"_

All these memories made Shadow go into a trance, Like a dream he didn't want to wake up from.

"Maria..." He said longingly. But suddenly,the fond memories turned into a Nightmare as he remembered the last few moments he had with her.

"_Shadow I beg of you! Give them a chance, To be happy!_"

"Maria!"

"_Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog_."

"**MARIA!**" Just As he watched himself fly away from Maria and the Space Colony ARK, He was suddenly woken up.

"SHADOW!" Rouge Shouted, Shadow almost let out a shriek, but fortunately for him (and his pride), he held it in.

"Huh? (Oh no) Did you... Hear any of that?" Shadow asked, Afraid Rouge might have heard him and thought he was going crazy,

"All of it. Shadow, You need some downtime to get your head together!" Rouge said, being concerned for her friend's well-being, actually, she'd been concerned since back at Eggman's Base.

"I am The Ultimate Life-Form, I _DO NOT_ need downtime!" Shadow said, feeling insulted that she thought he, "The Ultimate Life Form" felt hurt, felt depressed, that he had...

_feelings_.

"But your still a Life-Form, and every Life-Form needs _SOME_ kind of leisure time!" Rouge yelled back, trying to reason with the unstable hedgehog

"I'll be fine!" Shadow stormed off. But then something struck Rouge, Was this what was bothering him this whole time? She had to know,

"Wait!" Rouge called out to Shadow, Shadow stopped.

"What." Shadow said, In a slightly angry tone.

"Is this what was bothering you back at Eggman's Base?" Rouge asked,

"I don't have to answer that question..."

"That's it then, You remembered Maria!" Rouge concluded.

"So what if I did."

"Shadow, You can't just assume you can handle it on your own again, you need he-" Suddenly, Rouge was interrupted by Omega reactivating himself on his own again

"Why are you two fighting?" Omega asked

"It's not important" Shadow said. but then Rouge retorted

"NOT IMPOR-*sigh* Nevermind..." Rouge muttered, As they walked into the building

Later while they were walking, Omega stated "I am sensing in the vicinity, Stress, Anger, Guilt, Concern, Confusion, Lust, Regret, Sadness and Self Reproach. my programming isn't capable of emotions, and recent brain activity shows that Rouge only shares one of the emotions, concern. And the only person who has been acting differently is Sha-"

"That's enough." Shadow interrupted, Not wanting Omega to let out any more of his thoughts

"Affirmative" Omega agreed. Her curiosity peaked, Rouge asked

"What was that about Lust?-"

"So Omega!" Shadow yelled, "How do we know Eggman didn't put a virus in you that would cause your sensors to Malfunction?" He blurted out, trying to change the subject.

"I performed a thorough self-diagnosis, I am positive that I do not have a Viru-"

"Not good enough! Go to Jack, he'll fix it!"

"Affirmative" Omega agreed, Trusting the advice of his friend. Shadow, though he wouldn't admit it, Was physically attracted to her, though he just wanted to stay in the almost friends zone, He wouldn't let himself get close to anybody, Not after Maria.

After that, they finally got to the Briefing room, they opened the door and saw the Commander

"How did your mission go?" the Commander asked, He let them go on their own rescue mission to save Omega

"Perfectly," Shadow answered.

"Not quite," Rouge answered. The Commander Raised his Eyebrow and ordered

"Explain." Rouge walked up to the Commander and explained

"Shadow has personal issues he needs to sort out before he goes on another mission, I recommend downtime." Rouge said monotone, but still firm. The Commander got understandably curious

"Shadow, is this true?" The Commander asked,

"Yes sir, It's true." Shadow said as he gritted his teeth.

"Shadow, You must realize, All Soldiers of G.U.N. have to be in their Best shape, both physically and mentally." The Commander explained.

"I understand sir." Shadow was going to leave when Rouge put her hand on his shoulder, saying

"Shadow I'm sorry but as your friend-"

"Save it." Shadow said, Feeling betrayed. but after he left Rouge felt bad for him

"Commander?" Rouge asked

"Yes Rouge?" The Commander replied

"I am requesting that I have some downtime as well" after Rouge said that the Commander's eyes widened with anger

"Listen Rouge, Just because Shadow gets Leisure time DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN!"

"I am requesting on the grounds that _I_ have personal issues to sort out before I go on another mission"

"What sort of Issues!"

"I have a friend in need." Rouge bluntly stated

The Commander practically exploded in laughter over how corny that was, but he did understand

"Fine, You are allowed Leisure time FOR ONE WEEK! After that, Back to work! Is that clear?"

"Yes Commander!" Rouge excitedly said

"Agent Rouge...Dismissed!"

"Yes Sir!" Rouge said while saluting.

Later, As Shadow was walking to the exit, Omega spotted him and asked

"Shadow, where are you going?" Then Shadow looked up at Omega and said

"I don't know..." But before Shadow could start walking, Omega stopped him and said

"I am coming with you."

"But...You can't! You're still an agent of G.U.N.!" Shadow asked, puzzled by his friend's decision

"I am... _Faulty. It appears Eggman did put a virus in me and it is causing me to malfunction, I will be forced to take leisure time until self-repairs are finished._" Omega attempted to lie

"While that is **OBVIOUSLY** a lie, Why do you want to come?" Shadow asked,

"You also need a friend" Omega answered

"I DON'T _NEED_ ANYONE!" Shadow said

"Negative. Recent brain activity suggests you need a companion" Shadow was about to retort but he knew it was useless arguing with a Robot.

"Alright, you can come." Shadow sighed and begrudgingly said.

"Thank you Shadow." Omega gratefully replied. but then they heard a voice in the distance...

"WAIT!"

They both looked back and saw Rouge running toward them, This caught Shadow completely off-guard, he didn't expect Rouge to come back after the way he treated her

"What do you want?" Shadow asked

"I want to come with you guys!" Rouge answered. Omega, Being the voice of reason, asked

"But what of your affiliation with the Guardian Units of Nations?"

"I asked the Commander and he gave me permission for one week of leisure time"

"That's generous of him..." Shadow said, Thinking back on how far he and the commander have come in terms of _NOT_ wanting to kill each other

"So will we depart at this moment?" Omega asked

"That depends... Where are we going?" Shadow replied

"How about South Island?" Rouge asked

"That would be satisfactory" Omega answered

"South Island it is then!" Shadow proclaimed. and for the first time in months if not years, he was actually happy...

"So does this mean we're Team Dark again?" Rouge asked

"I guess... what do you think?" Shadow asked

"I'll be counting on you guys!" Rouge said

"Hm!" Shadow said, smiling.

"Affirmative" Omega added.

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**And so the journey begins! Will Shadow learn to deal with the memory of Maria? Will Omega learn to be less awkward during conversations? Doesn't a _certain_ Blue Hedgehog live in South Island? And will that _certain_ Blue Hedgehog appear in this Story? All this and _more_ will be answered next Chapter! Or not...**

**Personally I think I did better this time, But please tell me what you think in your review! Bradman is out!**


	3. Acceptance Part 1

**I didn't get as much feedback as before but what I did get was overwhelmingly positive! Don't hesitate to point out mistakes i've made. Co-written by**

**Panda "In the clouds" luver11. I highly recommend you read her fan-fics, she was a huge inspiration for me.**

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We return to Team Dark as they are about to begin their one week vacation.

"Wait, how will we get to South Island?" Rouge asked when she realized they hadn't settled on a way there yet. Shadow thought for a moment before replying.

"We can't fly there, we're running out of fuel, and the team budget is running low as well so... do you have any ideas?" Shadow asked curiously.

"How about we get there by boat?" Rouge suggested. Shadow nodded in approval.

"That would be satisfactory, and affordable. What do you think Omega?" Shadow asked and turned to the robot in question.

"Yeah, you've been quiet this whole time, is there something wrong?" Rouge said, slightly worried.

"Searching for "affordable" boat ride tickets with built-in internet browser." Omega answered.

"What, did Dr. Eggman put a windows in you?" Rouge joked.

"Yes, Windows 95 to be exact," Omega said, and paused before adding, "... He was cutting development costs at the time." Shadow and Rouge began to wonder if there was anything Dr. Eggman could do right.

"So have you found anything?" Shadow questioned impatiently.

"Affirmative. I have obtained reservations for one not too far from here," Omega replied and pointed in the direction they needed to go.

"Good work!" Rouge gave the robot a thumbs up and walked quickly ahead of her two companions. "Let's go!"

And so they headed for the dock that Omega said the ship was at, and managed to get a ride before it left.

Once they were inside of the boat a woman walked up them and asked for their names, Shadow and Omega casually answered her.

"Shadow," he replied, eyeing the woman suspiciously.

"E-123 Omega." Omega answered. Before Rouge answered she looked at the lady who was asking for their names, and to her own surprise she recognized her.

"Agent Topaz?" Rouge said, but she needed no confirmation. It was definitely Topaz.

"Um... Miss, I don't know what you're talk-" Topaz began, but she was loudly interrupted.

"So this is what you do on your vacations!" Rouge added, knowing Topaz hated being interrupted Topaz held back any anger she had as best she could, then walked closer to her bat "friend" and whispered,

"Quiet, Rouge! I'm undercover!" Rouge raised her eyebrows, pretending to be ever-so-slightly surprised. Topaz sighed angrily.

"Listen, while you were gone there were sightings of Eggman heading this way, and I've been sent to arrest him on sight!" she explained, still in a hushed voice.

"Alright, well I might as well go along with it," Rouge replied in a whisper. Then she started playing along, and said with a smile, "My name is Rouge."

"Nice to meet you, Rouge. Would any of you like a tour of the boat?" Topaz asked curiously. Rouge and Omega agreed, but Shadow did not.

"No thank you," Shadow said before turning and walking away to the upper deck. He saw no need to have a tour of something he didn't plan to be on for too long.

Later, during the boat ride...

Shadow looked at the skies and noticed it was starting to get dark. He had stayed above deck for most of the ride. Below desk wasn't all that interesting to him, but Rouge and Omega stayed down there the whole time so far, both with their own different reasons. Both oddly had something to do with the sun. He could barely remember the conversation now, but when he asked what was wrong with the sun, Omega said something about over-heating, and Rouge simply said it was just a bat thing.

While Shadow was lost in thought looking at the sunset in front of him, Rouge came above deck without him noticing, and had walked up to him. Then she decided a conversation was needed so she asked curiously, "So what is it about me that attracts you? Is it my personality or-" Rouge started, only to abruptly be answered.

"Your eyes." Shadow bluntly said, not turning his gaze from the sunset.

"W-What?" Rouge wasn't expecting a straight answer.

"Your eyes, they're..." Shadow paused and tried to search for the right words, "...pretty," Shadow said honestly while blushing a little.

"Why are you so open all of a sudden?" Rouge asked, surprised by his answer.

"I've been thinking for a while now. About Maria, about you." Shadow said, causing Rouge to blush.

"I've mainly thought about you, wondering if I really genuinely love you or not..." Shadow added, he still hadn't looked at her yet.

"And, have you figured it out?" Rouge asked curiously. He finally turned and looked at her.

"Yes, I've figured out that I don't love you in an interpersonal way. I only love you in an impersonal way. I do like you, and as I said I also like your eyes, but I don't love you. Do you understand?" Shadow asked, afraid his friend would take it the wrong way.

"Yeah, I think I do. Thanks for being honest with me Shadow." Rouge answered with a smile.

"Thanks for understanding." Shadow said, feeling relieved somehow.

"And what about Maria?"

"That, I'm not so sure about."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Maria was good, but I'm not... I've killed people Rouge. Not just robots, humans! I can't begin to imagine what Maria would think of me if she were still alive."

"Tell me Shadow, tell me who Maria was. What she looked like, her personality, everything."

"Okay, I'll...try." Shadow took a moment to organize his thoughts into words before speaking again. "Maria was twelve when I met her. Her hair was blonde, and her eyes were blue. I don't remember how tall she was, and she wore a blue shirt and a light-blue skirt I think..." He began, then continued when he thought of her personality. "But I do remember what her personality was. Maria was always cheerful, optimistic, and kind-hearted. She could see the good in almost anyone, and she was a forgiving person."

Rouge quietly waited to hear anything else. "Maria was a pacifist, she couldn't hurt a fly if it killed... well, me! And that's why..." he paused, looking like he felt broken, "That's why I can't live with myself. Because the humans killed Maria, and I killed them in cold-blooded revenge. If she were alive... I wouldn't even be able to look her in the eyes."

"But you said she's a forgiving person!" Rouge finally spoke, "From what you've told me, she could never hate you!"

"Don't you understand!? How could Maria forgive me if I can't forgive myself!" he yelled, gripping tightly to the railing of the boat. Noticing what he was doing, Shadow sighed and apologized saying, "I'm sorry... I need some sleep" before he started to walk away.

"I still think she'd forgive you!" Rouge added, hoping to make him feel better. But this seemed to backfire.

Shadow clenched his fists before yelling again, "GOOD NIGHT, ROUGE." Rouge sighed and decided she needed some sleep too.

Rouge woke up hearing a lot of people yelling Of course she knew it had to be Shadow, so she got up and looked for him. She finally found him in the food court, and heard tons of people talking around him.

"Sonic! Can I have your autograph!" thousands of fans asked.

"NO! I AM NOT SONIC! I AM BLACK AND RED, AND HE IS BLUE, WHY DO YOU PEOPLE KEEP CONFUSING US!?" Shadow screamed in the middle of all the confusion.

Rouge couldn't help but giggle at the sight of Shadow so scared. But as that happened, the real Sonic walked up and said with his usual big grin, "Alright guys, could you please stop scaring Shadow? I'm over here!"

After the fans heard that, they immediately swarmed over Sonic as Shadow was left to catch his breath.

"Why... Is Sonic here? ...Couldn't he have used the tornado?" Shadow asked, out of breath.

Once Sonic was done signing all the autographs (in 6 seconds!) he ran up to Shadow saying, "Actually, Tails is working on some sort of new gizmo for the tornado so I'll have to travel by boat to get from place to place for now," Sonic answered. "Now you better hurry before they want your autograph!" he added jokingly.

Taking this seriously, Shadow ran straight to his room and locked the door. Rouge and Shadow were sharing rooms so when Rouge wanted to go back to her room...

"Shadow open the door!" Rouge ordered loudly while pounding on the door with her fist.

"NO! Not until we get to South Island!"

"Why?!"

"Because the fans will want my autograph!"

"And who told you that?"

"Sonic!"

Rouge sighed loudly before yelling again, "He was probably joking!"

Shadow then noticed that he probably looked like a complete idiot, so he opened the door and muttered, "Foolish Hedgehog..."

Once Rouge got in, the mic on the boat made a loud feedback noise. Then the announcer said, "We will arrive at South Island in approximately 5 minutes..."

"Are you two ready to depart?" Omega asked, approaching his companions. After turning to their robotic friend they both said in unison,

"Yes."

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**And so they were off to the South Island docks, Will Shadow finally come to terms with his memories of Maria? Will Sonic have a bigger role in Part 2? All questions will be answered next chapter! Special thanks to Pandaluver11 (My inspiration for writing this story in the first place) for being such a big help in writing this story.**


	4. Acceptance Part 2

**Once again, not a lot of reviews but what I got was what counted! Co-written by Panda "in the clouds" luver11**

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We resume when Team Dark was about to leave the ship...

"Hope you have better luck finding Eggman next time Topaz," Rouge whispered a bit teasingly to her friend.

"Hope you have a great vacation!" Topaz said putting on a fake smile as she waved goodbye.

Once they were off the ship it was quiet, and everyone was obviously thinking about something. Rouge tried to think of something to start up a conversation because she was getting bored already, but then something dawned on her.

"Is there somewhere we can stay for the rest of the week?" Rouge asked, realizing they hadn't planned on where they

would stay.

"My initial idea was that we could stay at Sonic's, but then I realized Sonic doesn't live anywhe-" Shadow started but was abruptly corrected by Sonic.

"I live in the resort sometimes!" Sonic said in his usual hyperactive mood.

"I never asked you," Shadow replied in monotone. Not liking being interrupted. He made the same face Topaz would when she was interrupted, Rouge noted.

Rouge walked up to Sonic and asked, "Don't mind him, can we please stay at your room for the time being?"

"I don't see why not! Come on, I'll give you a tour of the resort!" Sonic said happily, looking like he was getting ready to run on ahead. He didn't like walking for a long period of time, and he was making it very obvious by fast-walking circles around his friends.

"Oh you don't have to..." Rouge assured, trying not to let her curiosity get the better of her.

"No please! I don't mind at all!" Sonic insisted, grinning now.

"Rouge, you and Omega can have the tour. Sonic?" Shadow said, getting more irritated by Sonic running circles around them as the seconds ticked by.

"Yeah?" Sonic asked as he finally stopped circling. Most likely because of the look Shadow was giving him.

"Where's the Room?" Shadow asked bluntly.

"Five miles to the east, then Four miles to the North and Nine miles to North-West and you'll find the Green Hill Resort! My room is 16B," Sonic answered, and it was nothing close to a slow answer. Shadow seemed to understand it somehow, Rouge caught maybe every third word of it and Omega was still processing it all.

"Thanks, Have...fun" Shadow said, then he ran off to the resort.

With Shadow gone, Sonic turned his attention to Rouge and Omega, "So shall we begin the tour?"

"Yes, we shall!" Rouge replied happily. She was getting really excited now, since the thought of jewels and gems being somewhere in the resort had crossed her mind.

"Walk or Run?" Sonic asked with excited eyes.

"Walk," Rouge replied, and added after seeing Sonic's excited expression fall, "Hey, not everyone has the kind of speed you do! If you walk at least then we'd be able to keep up!"

Sonic groaned before saying, "Alright we walk..." And so off they slowly went on the tour.

"Okay, this is the Chili-Dog Stand I normally go to," Sonic said when they arrived at the first "attraction". Rouge rolled her eyes, waiting to see something that would catch her interest.

"And this is the Chili-Dog Stand I go to when the other is closed..." Sonic continued, grinning at the food as they walked by.

"And thi-"

"Excuse me, Sonic, but do you go anywhere else other than these Chili-Dog Stands and the actual Resort?" Rouge asked, trying to hold back the annoyance she felt.

"Hmm... Come to think of it, I don't think I do!" Sonic said and laughed before glancing over at a very annoyed looking Rouge. After that his laughter died down, and he decided some thinking was in order.

So he scratched his head and thought. Scanning his memory didn't take long at all-he WAS the fastest hedgehog after all, and after only a brief pause he snapped his fingers and announced "Wait! I remember now!" He noticed he caught his tourists' attention and continued, "There actually is one place..."

Rouge's eyes suddenly had a glimmer of hope in them. "Please, take us there!" she said excitedly.

_Later..._

"The Docks!?" Rouge gasped, too surprised to think of anything better to say at the moment.

"Yeah! I go here when Tails is busy working on the Tornado and I have to go somewhere!" Sonic said obviously. Rouge would've laughed at the obvious statement if she hadn't felt so disappointed.

Rouge sighed sadly before saying in defeat, "Take us to the room..."

"Aw... You didn't like the tour?" Sonic asked with frown.

"Lack of variety." Omega answered bluntly. Rouge nodded in agreement as her mind drifted to the jewels she had daydreamed about before.

"Okay, fine... Might as well go to my boring old room now..." Sonic said sullenly, which dropped any of the expectations Rouge and Omega had left

But once they got there...

"Room? More like a mansion!" Rouge said, nearly fainting at the sight of it.

"Yeah, I guess it is huge..." Sonic replied, uninterested. He was clearly an outdoor hedgehog.

"Did they just make this and built everything else around it!?" Rouge asked before adding, "How can you afford all this?"

"Well, I save up all the rings I collect on my adventures," Sonic answered, "AND it was a gift from the Freedom Fighters..." He added, drifting off as his eyes watched Omega turn to leave the room unexpectedly after hearing the words:

"Freedom Fighters".

"What's wrong, Omega?" Rouge asked,

"Nothing is wrong. I just need to recharge my solar battery." Omega replied

"Okay..." Rouge replied, turning her attention back to Sonic once Omega had left she looked back at Sonic and asked curiously, "The Freedom Fighters? Who are they supposed to be?"

"It's a little team my buddy Sally made," he explained matter-of-factly, "It was formed back when Eggman-or Robotnik, first invaded Green Hill Zone and took away our homes, but..." Sonic stopped for a moment, then hesitantly continued, "We disbanded after Eggman captured Flicky..." Sonic said, reminiscing about his old friend.

Omega abruptly returned after Sonic had finished.

"Done charging already?" Sonic asked. He couldn't believe that a robot could recharge so quickly, but then again, this was a robot Eggman made. He tried not to remember that fact, though. Remembering only made him feel jumpy around Omega.

"Yes. I have gained sufficient charge from the sun after ten seconds," Omega suspiciously replied.

"That's odd..." Sonic muttered, finding it a bit to coincidental that he left right after he mentioned The Freedom Fighters. He decided not to dwell on it and turned his attention back to Rouge.

"So... Any questions?" Sonic asked with a smile.

"How many beds?" Rouge asked after some thought.

"Three," Sonic replied easily.

"That means one of us has to sleep on the fl-" Rouge started, only to be interrupted by Omega.

"I do not require a bed to sleep, a wall will be sufficient." he assured before looking around the room. Doing so while only turning his head around like an owl.

"Where is Shadow?" he asked all of a sudden.

"Maybe he fell asleep on one of the beds?" Sonic answered, now also curious as to where the hedgehog in question had gone.

"Scanning for Shadow's heat signature," Omega said as the lights in his eyes flashed around the room in search for Shadow. Then, after a short time, he spoke again, "...Aha, he is in one of the bedrooms."

"Which one?" Sonic asked, looking towards the direction that leads to the bedrooms.

"Of that I am not sure of..." Omega replied. After noticing Sonic was about to go check for himself he quickly added, "He is asleep so I suggest we do not bother him at this moment." Sonic stopped in his tracks and sighed.

"Okay, fine," he said and turned back to them, "Speaking of which, it's getting late, and we should all get some shut-eye." Rouge nodded in agreement after glancing out the window.

"See you guys tomorrow!" Sonic said, and before dashing away added, "Good night!"

"Good Night." Omega and Rouge replied as they watched him speed away. Rouge decided it was time to pick which bedroom she'd stay in, so she waved to Omega, saying a quick "good night" before walking away down the hall.

The first door Rouge saw she opened, and was surprised to see Shadow already in there.

He was asleep, having the same old dream...But with a heartbreaking twist.

In his dream, Shadow saw they were back on the same ship they had lived on. Back when everything seemed perfect because she was alive. But he could only feel sadness in the air. He'd had this dream before, and right on cue Maria appeared.

But this time she seemed... Different. He couldn't tell what felt different though. He knew he still felt guilty whenever he saw her in this dream, and just like all the other times he would plead for forgiveness... then the dream would end.

"Shadow, why did you kill them?" Dream Maria asked with tears in her eyes, "Why?"

"Maria, I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Shadow pleaded just as honestly as he had the many other times before in the dream.

"How could you!" Dream Maria yelled, looking less innocent by the minute. She cried while Shadow stood there. He was confused. The dream would usually end by now...

"Maria...I...I'm so sorry! Please Maria, forgive me!" Shadow pleaded desperately, tears in his eyes. Dream Maria was about to berate him again until Rouge appeared in the dream. Shadow was even more confused now.

"I think she'd forgive you!" Dream Rouge said, trying to convince Shadow to let go of the pain and guilt he held onto. Her words enraged the dream Maria.

"HOW COULD I FORGIVE SOMEONE WHO HAS MURDERED HUNDREDS! I HATE YOU SHADOW! I HA-" Dream Maria started yelling again, making Shadow feel even worse, but Rouge interrupted while coming closer.

"She could never hate you!" Dream Rouge said, hoping Shadow would listen. For some reason Rouge was starting to sound louder than Maria even though she wasn't yelling.

"But...Maria said-"

"No, Shadow. This isn't Maria. I know it, and you know it," Rouge said as the Dream Maria started to fade. Rouge put her hand on his shoulder before continuing, "I know I didn't know Maria personally, but I do know from what you've told me... she would forgive you."

Shadow only stared down at his feet. "You are a great hedgehog Shadow..." she added with a smile.

"But I still can't-"

"Please... Please forgive yourself...for me?" holding out her hand for him to take.

"I..." he paused and looked at her. He didn't want to forgive himself, but knowing his friend was there for him made him feel better somehow. He realized that if she and Maria could forgive him, then surely he could too.

But it would take time. Everything did.

"I...I will..." Shadow replied, taking her hand as the dream faded out.

His eyes slowly opened as he surveyed the room, noting that his little nap turned into a deep sleep...After a couple minutes, He decided to check if any of his friends were awake yet.

"Good morning sleepy-head!" Sonic tiredly said, not having the same spark as when he's fully-awake.

"Good Morning!" Shadow said, he was a bit too loud for Rouge and Sonic who had just woken up.

"What's up with you?" Rouge asked

"Nothing's wrong! I've never been better!" Shadow answered

"Are you trying to protect us from something?" Sonic asked, noting that this wasn't like Shadow at all.

"Nope! I'm just happy!" Shadow answered, and he was right, he was happy.

"What happened between yesterday and today?" Rouge asked, curious about this sudden change in mood

"Well... I had a dream that made me realize what I've been doing wrong this whole time." Shadow answered

"And what's that?" Sonic asked,

"I've been very secluded, I realize that now." Shadow said "Now, I'm going to go off on my own and just... Live!" he added

"But what about G.U.N.?" Rouge asked

"Give them a call saying I'm resigning and becoming a pacifist." Shadow answered

"Where are you going!?" Sonic asked

"Hmm... I honestly don't know! I'll mail you the address once I've settled on a place." Shadow answered

"This is ridiculous Shadow!" Rouge said

"I'll be leaving soon, so I should start saying goodbye to everybody..." Shadow noted

"But Shadow-" Rouge started only to suddenly be hugged by Shadow

"Goodbye Rouge!" Shadow said, the happy tone still in his voice. After that he went over to Sonic, and while shaking his hand he said, "Goodbye Sonic!"

"I-It's been fun..." Sonic said, still in shock over how Shadow was acting

"Goodbye Ome-wait where is Omega?" Shadow asked

"He's probably charging again" Sonic said

"Oh... well, tell him I said goodbye!" Shadow said

"Who else is on South Island?" Shadow asked

"Actually, it's just us basically." Sonic said

"Well, tell them all I said goodbye!" Shadow said while chuckling, realizing he hadn't really thought this through, "This went a lot better in my head..." He added

"When will we see you again?" Rouge asked

"Soon." Shadow answered as he began to walk to the exit

"Wait, Shadow!" Rouge said

"Yes?" Shadow asked stopping in his tracks.

"...Goodbye" Rouge said.

"Goodbye." Shadow replied as he walked off into the distance.

* * *

**Okay that's it! Hope you liked this story! Extra-Special Thanks to Panda "In the Clouds" luver11 for being such a big help in not only this Fic, but also for inspiring me to become a writer in the first place. You're a much better writer than you think! I just want you to know that.**

**-Brad**


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